The Church of Uganda (C/U) is a member province of the Anglican Communion with a rich and complex history intertwined with the political and social developments of Uganda.
Early Missionary Efforts
The first European Anglican missionaries to Uganda were Shergold Smith and C. T. Wilson of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), who arrived in June 1877. Their arrival marked the beginning of Anglican influence in the region.
Political Intrigue and Persecution
Kabaka Mutesa I, the then-ruler, was known for his brutality and skillfully manipulated the rivalries between Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and Muslims. He aimed to balance the influence of the powers backing each group.
In 1885, a significant event occurred when three Anglican Ugandans were killed. The arriving Archbishop of the Province of Eastern Equatorial Africa, James Hannington, and his party were arrested, detained, and later executed on the orders of the Kabaka. Joseph Mukasa, a Roman Catholic priest and official of the Bugandan court, who rebuked this act, was also arrested and beheaded. This incident was a precursor to the large-scale persecutions and killings of Anglicans and Roman Catholics from 1886 to 1887.
This period of persecution led to the intervention of the Imperial British East Africa Company, which supported a rebellion against Mwanga II by Christian and Muslim groups. Mwanga II was eventually overthrown in 1888 and replaced by his half-brother, Kiwewa. However, Kiwewa was soon overthrown by the Muslim faction in the court and replaced by his Muslim brother, Kalema. British forces later forced Kalema to abdicate and restored the throne to Mwanga II, who, in 1894, acceded to Uganda's status as a British protectorate.
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Establishment of the Diocese of Uganda
Alfred Robert Tucker was appointed as the third bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa in 1890. In 1893 the first Ugandans were ordained and Buganda was established as a centre for evangelisation in the Great Lakes Area. In 1899, the Diocese of Uganda was created, and Tucker became its first Bishop.
By the turn of the 20th century, Anglican growth in Uganda thrived. The Anglican Church made notable contributions in education, establishing the first elementary schools in the 1890s.
Indigenous Leadership and Church Structure
Tucker proposed controversial measures to the Church constitution, intending to grant considerable power to indigenous Anglicans in what was known as the Native Anglican Church. These proposals faced opposition from missionaries, resulting in a church hierarchy that remained primarily expatriate until Uganda's independence decades later. The domination of the CMS, and its later offshoot BCMS, led to a low church tradition in the Church.
In the 1950s, a new generation of Ugandan Church leaders began to emerge, gradually replacing the expatriate hierarchy. Festo Kivengere, who later became the Bishop of Kigezi in 1972, traveled to Europe as an evangelist for the first time.
The Province of Uganda
In 1961, the growth of the Church of Uganda was recognized within the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda and Ruanda-Urundi (later Province of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi). Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, inaugurated the new province on April 16, 1961, at Namirembe Cathedral. Leslie Brown, Bishop of Namirembe (Bishop of Uganda until 1960), was elected in 1960 and installed as the first Primate, metropolitan, and archbishop during the province's inauguration service.
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Relationships between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, strained since the fighting of 1892, saw a positive turn with the establishment of the Uganda Joint Christian Council.
The Role of the Church and state of missions in Uganda
Political Turmoil and Church Opposition
In 1971, Idi Amin seized power in a coup d'état. Initially, the general population of Uganda greeted him with enthusiasm. However, the brutal and corrupt nature of his regime soon became apparent. With the consecration of Janani Jakaliya Luwum as the new archbishop in 1974, the Anglican Church became more outspoken in its opposition to Amin's policies.
Post-Amin Era and Contemporary Challenges
The overthrow of Amin in 1979 led to a gradual return to normalcy in Uganda, although peace remained elusive in northern Uganda due to the insurgency by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In 1997, Winifred Ochola, the wife of the first Bishop of Kitgum, was killed by a landmine.
In 1980, Rwanda and Burundi were elevated to a separate province. The Church of Uganda has been actively involved in promoting AIDS awareness and prevention in Uganda.
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Current Leadership and Anglican Realignment
The current primate and metropolitan archbishop is Stephen Kaziimba, who was enthroned in March 2020.
The Church of Uganda has been an active participant in the Anglican realignment, both at the Global South and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. They are among the African churches that broke communion with the Episcopal Church of the United States due to its acceptance of non-celibate homosexuality. They have also agreed to provide pastoral oversight and support to new Anglican churches in North America as part of the ongoing Anglican realignment.
In 2013, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali disapproved of the Church of England's decision to allow clergy in civil partnerships to become bishops, stating that it was a "significant step away from that very gospel that brought life, light, and hope to us." Archbishop Ntagali also reiterated his opposition to similar decisions made by other western Anglican provinces.
Church Structure
Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known as an archdeacon. The archdeaconries are further subdivided into parishes, headed by a parish priest. Parishes are subdivided into sub-parishes, headed by lay readers.
Figures and Statistics
Below is a table showing key statistics about the Ugandan population.
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Total Population (2024) | 46.88 million |
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